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Dr Anna Maw, Paediatrician
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Consultant pediatrician at Cambridge University NHS Trust in the UK. A child doctor specializing in brain development and neurology. She has three children.
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Poo & nappies

Baby’s constipation

About 1 in 3 babies or toddlers will have constipation at some point. It's really common. It is vital to treat constipation with diet and adequate hydration, rather than resorting to medicine, which may exacerbate the problem in the long term.
In Short
If your baby is not pooing every day or their poo is hard, dry and compacted, he may have constipation.

If the poo is in distinct balls, this is constipation.

If your baby is really straining to get poo out, that is a symptom as well.

There are ways to prevent and treat your baby’s constipation.

An exclusively breastfed baby who is older than about 4-6 weeks may not poo every day. They may even skip a few days. This isn’t a concern provided they are growing well, having wet nappies and the poo is soft when you eventually do see it. This isn’t constipation and you shouldn’t give your baby anything to eat and drink other than milk to try and make them poo. It’s completely normal and it’s also normal for breastfed babies to continue pooing every day! Every baby is different.

Preventing constipation

It’s easier to prevent your baby getting constipated in the first place than it is to treat it, so follow these simple guidelines to avoid it happening:

  • Breastfed babies rarely get constipated.
  • If you’re formula feeding, never add extra formula, always follow the instructions exactly.
  • On warm days, offer your baby small amounts of extra water if you are formula feeding.
  • If you are breastfeeding, it’s not recommended to give babies under 6 months water. Allow them to breastfeed when they show signs that they want to.
  • If your baby is on solid foods, give them a varied and healthy diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables.
  • Make sure your baby has enough water to drink when they start on solids.

Breastfed babies rarely get constipated. Assuming your baby is on solids or formula fed:

Make sure your baby has plenty of liquids.

Try increasing fluids by offering extra water between meals.

Diet

Increasing fruit in babies over 6 months can also help relieve constipation. Try apple, plums, prunes, apricots, peaches or raspberries.

Baked beans, frozen peas and sweetcorn are good and popular sources of fibre with babies and children. A little bit of fresh orange juice in your baby’s milk or water can help soften stools.

Exercise

Get them out of the pram and moving as much as you can.

Massage your baby’s tummy

Gently massaging baby’s abdomen in a clockwise direction (following the direction of the baby’s gut) or gently moving their legs, bending their knees and gently rotating in a clockwise direction – may also help stimulate bowels.

What if they’ve hurt their bottoms?

It might be that if their bottoms are hurt when straining with a hard poo, they don’t want to go through that again. If this happens, do everything you can, as outlined above, to make sure the fluid intake is sufficient, and the diet is good.

Get medical advice from your Health Visitor or GP, since the problem can get worse quite quickly.

Try to resist giving your child laxatives except on medical recommendation. Try everything you can to sort out this long term problem with diet and water.

Sources:

NICE Guidelines

Dr Anna Maw, Consultant Paediatrician

Last reviewed on: 01/05/2023
DISCLAIMER
This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Essential Parent has used all reasonable care in compiling the information from leading experts and institutions but makes no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. For details click here.